• Vol. 42 No. 7, 356–357
  • 15 July 2013

Plant Food and Incense: The New Substances of Abuse

The Internet provides a means of reaching and providing information to a wide population. The authors have noted the availability of substances of abuse packaged conveniently as products for other purposes such as ‘plant foods’, ‘incense’ and ‘bath salts’ which are consumed by abusers for the “highs” they provide. Novel synthetic designer drugs that act as stimulants such as gamma hydroxyl butyric acid (GHB) or “Georgia Home Boy” tablets are available for purchase over the Internet. It has been noted that the various substances produced are changed “in response to market trends and legislative controls”. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drugs Addiction revealed that in 2010, there were 40 completely new substances taken by United Kingdom (UK) recreational drug users.

This article is available only as a PDF. Please click on “Download PDF” on top to view the full article.